Flora

video: Bushfoods

Desert flora is perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert. The growth and reproduction of plant communities rely on irregular rainfall. Some plants are able to survive fire, some are dependent on it to reproduce.

Plants in Aboriginal Culture

Plants are an important part of Tjukurpa, and there are ceremonies for each of the major plant foods. Many plants are associated with ancestral beings. Collection of plant foods remains a culturally important activity, reinforcing traditional links with country and Tjukurpa.

Anangu use plants for many purposes:

food, nectar and honey
fire
medicines
tobacco
raw materials for implements, weapons and artefacts
cementing and adhesive substances
fuel for cooking and warmth
ornaments and decoration used in ritual ceremonies
source of water and edible invertebrates.

Warning: Some species of fruit are very poisonous. Anangu know the difference between the poisonous and non-poisonous varieties. All plants are protected within the National Park and should be left alone.

Punu (trees)

Wanari (mulga - Acacia aneura)
Probably Australia's most common tree. It covers huge semi-arid and arid areas. What look like leaves are actually flattened leaf-stems (called phyllodes). Fire usually kills mulga so it has developed a survival strategy dependant on fire. The seeds need heat to crack and germinate, which is why the trees occurring in each stand are generally the same age. Each part of the tree has an important traditional use. The heavy, hard wood is the main source of firewood. From the bigger branches and trunks miru (spearthrower), mukulpa (barbs), wata (spearhead), kali (boomerang) and wana (digging stick) are made. Both wiltja (shelter) and yuu (windbreak) are constructed from the leafy branches. The tree is also a valuable source of food, providing seeds, shelter for malu (red plains kangaroo), nyii-nyii (zebra finch) nests, tarulka (mulga apples) and insect galls, kurku (clear sweet lumps) and ngantja (mistletoe fruit).
Kurkara (desert oak - Allocasuarina decaisneana)
Slow growing and grow in deep sand in large numbers. Juveniles look like Christmas trees and mature to an adult form spreading massive limbs when the roots meet the water table. It is the only member of its family in Central Australia and its cones are the biggest in its family. Fire burns its foliage but usually does not kill the tree.
Kanturangu (desert poplar - Codonocarpus cotinifolius)
Fast growing short-lived tree, belonging to the same Australian family as the sandhill corkwood. It sometimes sets so much seed that its crown bends over with the weight. It often lines roadsides but can also grow in sand, on mulga flats and even on rocky hillsides. Anangu collect its leaves as a cooling cover for babies in hot weather. They also collect maku (witchetty grubs) from the roots.
Muur-muurpa (centralian bloodwood - Corymbia opaca [Eucalyptus centralis])
One of the parks most prominent eucalypts. Anangu use the bloodwood to make bowls, its red sap as a disinfectant and an inhalant for coughs and colds.
Itara (river red gum - Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
Another prominent eucalypt found in the park. Anangu collect a white flaky crust from river red gum leaves, roll it into balls and eat it like a lolly.
Altarpa (blue mallee - Eucalyptus gamophylla) are the
This eucalypt is very common throughout the park.

Puti - shrubs

Grevilleas and hakeas (corkwood trees) flower in the spring and winter. They have big bottlebrush heads. Anangu collect nectar from the flowers, they do not pick them for nectar. They suck it directly from the flowers or soak them in water for a sweet drink.

Kaliny-kalinypa (honey grevillea - Grevillea eriostachya)
This shrubs flowers are bright yellow and green.
Ilykuwara (witchetty bush - Acacia kempeana)
This shrub looks like a shrubby mulga with broad round-ended leaves. Anangu women use their digging stick to dig up the roots to extract maku (witchetty grub), larvae of a large moth that feeds in the roots.
Mintjingka (crimson turkey bush - Eremophila latrobei)
After rain it is easy to see when it is covered with bright red bell flowers. Anangu collect these and suck the sweet nectar.

Tjulpun-tjulpunpa - flowers

Anangu call all the pretty ground flowers tjulpun-tjulpunpa. Daisies and other ground flowers bloom after rain and during the winter. Others such as the wattles bloom as spring approaches. Anangu collect wattle seed, crush and mix it with water to make an edible paste which they eat raw. To make damper, the seeds are parched with hot sand so their skins can be removed before they are ground for flour.

Purar-purarpa (white foxtail - Ptilotis obovatus)
This plant belongs to a group of hair flowers we call pussytails.
alputati (showy foxtail - Ptilotis exaltatus)
Also part of the pussytail group, has a spectacular display of pink flowers.
Pukara (desert heath-myrtle - Thryptomene maisonneuvei)
In early June you might see this plant flowering near the Uluru sunset viewing area and the Resort. It is a small shrub with scale leaves and tiny pink and white flowers.
Paltu-paltupa (parrot-pea - Crotalaria cunninghamii)
Found on the sandhill crests in midwinter, it has very obvious big green flowers with dark stripes. Anangu mash the leaves and use them as a poultice on snake bites.

Ukiri - grasses

Some species of grasses have seeds which can be eaten. Anangu women rub the seed heads from their stalks and then separate the seeds from the chaff by skilful winnowing. Using grinding stones, they then grind the seeds to flower for damper.

Tjanpi (hard spinifex - Triodia basedowii)
These prickly hummocks have enormous root systems that prevent desert sands shifting. The hummock roots spread underground beyond the prickly clump and deeply into the soil, forming an immense cone.
kiti (gummy spinifex - Triodia pungens)
Anangu gather the resin of this spinifex to make kiti (gum). They thresh the spinifex until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar which Anangu work while warm. The gum is used for hunting and working implements, and to mend breaks in stone and wooden implements.
Wangunu (naked woolybutt - Eragrostis eriopoda)
An important food source for Anangu.
Kunakanti (armgrass millet - Paractaenum [Plagiosetum] refractum)
The seeds are also used for food.
Kaltu - kaltu (native millet - Panicum decompositum)
Another food source for Anangu.

Wild Tomatoes and Other Fruits

Kampurarpa (desert raisin or wild tomato - Solanum centrale)
tjuntawara (shy nightshade - Solanum cleistogamum)
itunypa (western nightshade - Solanum petrophilum)
tjilka-tjilka (prickly nightshade - Solanum petrophilum)
Features distinctive flowers. Their yellow stamens stand erect from the fused pentagon of purple petals.

Rare and Endangered Plants

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park flora represents a large portion of plants found in Central Australia. A number of these species are considered rare and restricted in the park or the immediate region. There are many rare and endemic plants at Uluru and Kata Tjuta. A number of other species, while found elsewhere in central Australia, may be endangered within the park.

There are several rare and endangered species in the park. Most of them like adder's tongue ferns (Ophioglossaceae Sp.) are restricted to the moist areas at the base of the monoliths, which are areas of high visitor use and subject to erosion.

Introduced Plants

Since the first Europeans arrived, 34 exotic plant species have been recorded in the park, representing about 6.4% of the total park flora. Some such as perennial buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) were introduced to rehabilitate areas damaged by erosion. It is the most threatening weed in the park and has spread to invade water and nutrient rich drainage lines. Where infestation is dense, it prevents the growth of native grasses - a source of food for animals and humans.

Rubydock (Acetosa vesicaria [Rumex]), a red coloured plant that grows by the roadside, may have been introduced from Central Asia to use for stuffing camel saddles. It dries to a spongy straw. A few others such as burrgrass were brought in accidentally, carried on cars and people.

Parks and reserves

Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park